Drinking water consumption: a continuous effort in Tivaouane

During this Mawlid 2026, Tivaouane is experiencing a record influx of pilgrims celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Simultaneously, the religious city is expanding through a noticeable real estate boom along the ring road, in new neighborhoods, and in the integration of older villages into the municipality. These factors have a direct impact on drinking water consumption, as we observed this Tuesday morning. Furthermore, during the official ceremony, in the presence of the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, Serigne Moustapha Sy Al Amine, a key organizer, addressed the issue. He reported the numerous calls received seeking a solution to the exponential demand during the Gamou celebration. Alerted to the situation, the SONES and SEN'EAU services assured that they had operated the water infrastructure at its optimal capacity. With a total volume of around 15,000 m³ ^/ day, the volumes used reached over 39,000 m³ ^/ day, two and a half times the normal consumption. The disruptions were mainly felt in peripheral areas or those located at the end of the network, such as Cité Al Maktoum, Diamaguène Rails, opposite the Moustapha Sy residence, Béti Bala, Champ de Course, Cité Serigne Mansour, Cité Al Amine 02, and Darou Salam.

These shortcomings demonstrate that the sustained efforts of recent years are sufficient to meet the city's needs. However, given the increasing demand for water during the Gamou festival, it is crucial to find new solutions. Indeed, from 2020 to 2024, 4.5 billion FCFA was allocated to securing the drinking water supply in the holy city. The symbolic culmination of this work will be the installation of a borehole system to reduce dependence on Lake Guiers. This mixed system has been enhanced with 4 new boreholes, one of which is reserved for supplying drinking water to the new Great Mosque for an additional volume of 11,000 m3 ^/ day, a new water tower with a capacity of 2,000 m3 ^, a structuring network of 12 kilometers, a network extension program of 55 kilometers, of which 17 kilometers are currently being implemented, and nearly 3,000 connections between 2023 and 2024.

Efforts continued this year with 27 kilometers of network extension, in addition to the 18 kilometers already ordered by SONES from SEN'EAU as part of the social connection program. Network reinforcements were carried out in areas affected by malfunctions last year, including the Serigne Mansour Sy, Serigne Ababacar Sy, Al Amine, Kawsara 2, Baïty Balla Dia, and Ndiandakhoum neighborhoods, at an estimated cost of 63.5 million FCFA, funded by SONES. Finally, existing street water points were reopened and meters were read at accommodation sites in Tivaouane.

New areas have been supplied due to the extension of the municipal perimeter to Ndindy Baal, Sinou Khaly, Ndindy Baal 2, Sala Mbata and Ndiadjinn, for a total linear length of 29 kilometers in terms of network extensions at a cost of 300 million FCFA.

New works have already been announced by SONES, within the framework of the Integrated Water Security and Sanitation Project (PISEA) .

Extension work is also underway on approximately 25 km of networks , including 15 km intended for connecting villages attached to the municipality .

In total , with the commissioning of the production facilities in September 2023 and the completion of the fifth well F7 in the AI Amin district , the production capacity of

Tivaouane 's water supply reaches 14,000 m³ / day , which will cover the city 's needs until 2030 , excluding the Gamou period . Storage capacity has increased from 1,700 m³ to 3,700 m³ .​

These achievements reflect the commitment of the State and SONES to sustainably strengthen the security of the drinking water supply in Tivaouane and Ndiassane and to ensure, during the Gamou period , a service adapted to the exceptional increase in demand. They form the basis of the system put in place for the 2026 celebration and the investments planned for the coming years.

This , Mr. Minister , is the current economic situation regarding the drinking water supply to the cities of Tivaouane and Ndiassane , as well as the measures taken in view of Gamou 2026.